POETIC DEVICES and FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE POETIC DEVICE A technique or tool used in poetry FORM Form is the way a poem looks. LINES The number of lines in a poem may vary. They may or may not be complete sentences. STANZAS Stanzas are lines separated into groups. The number of lines in each stanza may vary. RHYME Rhyme is when words end with the same sound. RHYTHM Rhythm is the beat of the poem. REPETITION Repetition is the repeating of sounds, words, phrases, or lines. ALLITERATION Alliteration is the repetition of similar beginning sounds and consonants (like tongue twisters). ONOMATOPOEIA Onomatopoeia is when a word’s sound suggests its meaning. Ex: buzz, swish, bang FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE Figurative language helps us picture ordinary things in a new way. SIMILE A simile compares two unlike things using like or as. Ex: He was as sly as a fox. METAPHOR A metaphor is an implied comparison of two unlike things. It doesn’t use like or as. Ex: Laughter is the best medicine. PERSONIFICATION Personification is when animals or objects are given human characteristics. Ex: The wind whispered to the trees. HYPERBOLE Extreme exaggeration; usually meant to be funny. Ex. It was a million degrees in the shade. IDIOM An idiom is a phrase or expression that has a different meaning from what it actually says. Ex. You’re driving me up the wall! It’s raining cats and dogs.